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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Green light for hybrid research | Green light for hybrid research |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Regulators have given scientists the green light to create human-animal embryos for research. | Regulators have given scientists the green light to create human-animal embryos for research. |
| The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority granted permission after a consultation showed the public were "at ease" with the idea. | The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority granted permission after a consultation showed the public were "at ease" with the idea. |
| Experts said it was vital for research into life-threatening diseases. | Experts said it was vital for research into life-threatening diseases. |
| Two centres, King's College London and Newcastle University, will now be able to begin their work under one-year research licences. | Two centres, King's College London and Newcastle University, will now be able to begin their work under one-year research licences. |
| Any other centres wishing to do similar work will have to apply to the HFEA for permission, which will make a decision on a case by case basis. | Any other centres wishing to do similar work will have to apply to the HFEA for permission, which will make a decision on a case by case basis. |
| Hybrids | Hybrids |
| Scientists want to create hybrid embryos by merging human cells with animal eggs in a bid to extract stem cells. The embryos would then be destroyed within 14 days. | Scientists want to create hybrid embryos by merging human cells with animal eggs in a bid to extract stem cells. The embryos would then be destroyed within 14 days. |
| The cells form the basic building blocks of the body and have the potential to become any tissue, making them essential for research. | The cells form the basic building blocks of the body and have the potential to become any tissue, making them essential for research. |
| At the moment, scientists have to rely on human eggs left over from fertility treatment, but they are in short supply and are not always good quality. | At the moment, scientists have to rely on human eggs left over from fertility treatment, but they are in short supply and are not always good quality. |
| Critics say they are repulsed by the idea and there must be no creation of an animal-human hybrid. | Critics say they are repulsed by the idea and there must be no creation of an animal-human hybrid. |
| They say it is tampering with nature and is unethical. | They say it is tampering with nature and is unethical. |
| It is already illegal to implant human-animal embryos in the womb or bring them to term. | It is already illegal to implant human-animal embryos in the womb or bring them to term. |
| Go-ahead | Go-ahead |
| Dr Stephen Minger and colleagues at King's College London want to create hybrids to study diseases known to have genetic causes - such as Alzheimer's disease, spinal muscular atrophy and Parkinson's disease. | Dr Stephen Minger and colleagues at King's College London want to create hybrids to study diseases known to have genetic causes - such as Alzheimer's disease, spinal muscular atrophy and Parkinson's disease. |
| And Lyle Armstrong's team at Newcastle University are hoping to use the technique to help understand how stem cells develop into different tissues in the body. | And Lyle Armstrong's team at Newcastle University are hoping to use the technique to help understand how stem cells develop into different tissues in the body. |
| In the distant future this information may lead to scientists to be able to grow new tissues in the laboratory. | In the distant future this information may lead to scientists to be able to grow new tissues in the laboratory. |
| Dr Armstrong said: "Now that we have the licence we can start work as soon as possible. | Dr Armstrong said: "Now that we have the licence we can start work as soon as possible. |
| "We have already done a lot of the work by transferring animal cells into cow eggs so we hope to make rapid progress." | "We have already done a lot of the work by transferring animal cells into cow eggs so we hope to make rapid progress." |
| John Smeaton, national director of the Society for the Protection of UnbornChildren (SPUC), said: "The HFEA decision represents a disastrous setback forhuman dignity in Britain. | |
| "The deliberate blurring of the boundaries between humans and other species iswrong and strikes at the heart of what makes us human." |